"What If...": Ex-CSK IPL Winner's Suggestive Post On Rohit Sharma Takes Internet By Storm
Rohit Sharma will not be leading Mumbai Indians (MI) in the upcoming season of the IPL.
After 11 seasons at the helm, Rohit Sharma will not be leading Mumbai Indians (MI) in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the franchise announced that Hardik Pandya will captain the five-tim champions. During his 11 seasons with MI, Rohit led the franchise to a record five IPL titles, the most by any team alongside CSK. In November this year, Pandya moved from Gujarat Titans (GT) to his former franchise MI as part of an all-cash trade deal.
In GT's debut season in 2022, Hardik ensured a fairytale start, with the team lifting the coveted trophy. He also led GT to a runners-up finish last season as CSK won the IPL 2023 final.
Former India batter S Badrinath, who won two IPL titles with CSK, has made an outrageous suggestion as far as Rohit is concerned.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Badrinath posted a morphed picture of Rohit in a CSK jersey.
"What if..." Badrinath captioned the post.
What If #MI #CSK #IPL2024 pic.twitter.com/wmrIauLv4U
— S.Badrinath (@s_badrinath) December 16, 2023
As far as CSK are concerned, the franchise retained legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni, who will lead the team during IPL 2024.
Dhoni led CSK to record-equalling 5th title earlier this year.
Commenting on Hardik's appointment as captain, Mahela Jayawardene, Global Head of Performance, Mumbai Indians said: "It is part of legacy building and staying true to the MI philosophy of being future-ready.
"Mumbai Indians have always been blessed with exceptional leadership right from Sachin to Harbhajan and Ricky to Rohit, who while contributing to the immediate success have always had an eye on strengthening the team for the future.
"It is in keeping with this philosophy that Hardik Pandya will assume captaincy of Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season." Rohit, who recently led India to the ODI World Cup final, had been captaining the franchise since 2013 when they lifted first of their five IPL trophies.
The other titles under Rohit's captaincy came in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. Mumbai Indians had made it to the play-offs in IPL 2023.
"We express our gratitude to Rohit Sharma for his exceptional leadership; his tenure as the captain of the Mumbai Indians since 2013 has been nothing short of extraordinary.
"His leadership has not only brought unparalleled success to the team but has also solidified his place as one of the finest captains in the history of the IPL.
"Under his guidance, MI became one of the most successful and loved teams ever. We will look forward to his guidance and experience on and off the field to further strengthen MI.
"We welcome Hardik Pandya as the new captain of MI and wish him all the very best," added Jayawardene.
(With PTI Inputs)
Chennai Super Kings
Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma
Hardik Pandya
MS Dhoni